Afghan Endgames: Strategy and Policy Choices for America's Longest War (South Asia in World Affairs) - Softcover

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1589019083 ISBN 13: 9781589019089

Publisher: Georgetown University Press, 2012

Synopsis

The United States and its allies have been fighting the Taliban and al-Qaeda in Afghanistan for a decade in a war that either side could still win. While a gradual drawdown has begun, significant numbers of US combat troops will remain in Afghanistan until at least 2014, perhaps longer, depending on the situation on the ground and the outcome of the US presidential election in 2012. Given the realities of the Taliban's persistence and the desire of US policymakers―and the public―to find a way out, what can and should be the goals of the US and its allies in Afghanistan?

Afghan Endgames brings together some of the finest minds in the fields of history, strategy, anthropology, ethics, and mass communications to provide a clear, balanced, and comprehensive assessment of the alternatives for restoring peace and stability to Afghanistan. Presenting a range of options―from immediate withdrawal of all coalition forces to the maintenance of an open-ended, but greatly reduced military presence―the contributors weigh the many costs, risks, and benefits of each alternative.

This important book boldly pursues several strands of thought suggesting that a strong, legitimate central government is far from likely to emerge in Kabul; that fewer coalition forces, used in creative ways, may have better effects on the ground than a larger, more conventional presence; and that, even though Pakistan should not be pushed too hard, so as to avoid sparking social chaos there, Afghanistan's other neighbors can and should be encouraged to become more actively involved. The volume's editors conclude that while there may never be complete peace in Afghanistan, a self-sustaining security system able to restore order swiftly in the wake of violence is attainable.

About this title

About the Author

Hy Rothstein served in the US Army as a Special Forces officer for more than 26 years, spending much of his time training and advising governments threatened by active insurgencies. He is currently a senior lecturer in the Department of Defense Analysis at the US Naval Postgraduate School. He is the author of Afghanistan and the Troubled Future of Unconventional Warfare.

John Arquilla is a professor of defense analysis at the US Naval Postgraduate School and is the author of Insurgents, Raiders, and Bandits: How Masters of Irregular Warfare Have Shaped Our World.

Review

"A compilation of cutting-edge opinion on how to best wrap up this 'longest war'a welcom level-headed and varied look at this most pressing of policy problems."―Asian Affairs

"Timely and mind-broadening . . . useful for those who want to consider the campaign from different perspectives. And for anyone who wants to frame a better understanding of what the United States will have accomplished by 2014."―Proceedings

Edition details

• Publisher: Georgetown University Press
• Publication date: 2012
• ISBN 10: 1589019083
• ISBN 13: 9781589019089
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 288
• Editor: Rothstein Hy, Arquilla John